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This lime overnight oats recipe is bright, creamy, and refreshing—the perfect balance of tangy and sweet for a healthy breakfast or light dessert. Made with rolled oats, fresh lime, and yogurt, they’re naturally high in fiber and you can easily make them vegan or high-protein with a few small tweaks.

(All covered in the variations part.)

The best part? These oats are make-ahead and meal prep friendly—just stir the ingredients together, let them chill overnight, and you’ll have an easy, tasty breakfast waiting in the fridge. Multiply the ingredients and you’re all set for a few days.

Recipe Info

This lime overnight oats recipe is:

Bright and refreshing. The fresh lime juice and zest give these oats a lively citrus flavor that’s perfect for waking up your taste buds.
Simple to prepare. Just mix the ingredients and pop them in the fridge overnight—no cooking required, making it ideal for busy mornings.
Meal-prep friendly. Like the recipe? Just make 4 portions instead of one and you’re sorted for 4 days.

Making lime overnight oats for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Extra Learning

Before we jump in, here are a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:

Overnight oats 101. Our overnight oats base recipe that covers ingredient swaps, tips on adjusting the recipe, and how to fix common issues.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Rolled oats. Form the hearty base of the dish, absorbing liquids to create a creamy texture.
Chia seeds. Act as a natural thickener and add a subtle crunch. Plus extra fiber.
Milk of choice. Liquid to soften oats. I suggest dairy, oat, or almond milk for this one.
Non-fat Greek yogurt. Gives extra creaminess and a bit of tang.
White sugar. It’s probably the best choice because it doesn’t mess with the lime flavor. You can play with using honey or maple syrup, but they will alter the flavor a bit (or a lot).
Salt. Enhances overall flavor and balance sweetness. Don’t skip.
Lime juice. Delivers the main citrusy brightness and tang.
Lime zest. Adds aromatic lime oils for intensified lime flavor.
Vanilla extract (optional). Rounds out and deepen the flavor profile. Highly recommended.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Lime Overnight Oats

Mix lime juice and yogurt separately. In a bowl, combine the lime juice and yogurt gently. Doing this first helps prevent the lime juice from curdling the milk in the next step.

Adding yogurt and lime juice — Mix the lime juice and

Yogurt and lime juice mixture — Mix the lime juice and

Add milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pour the milk into the yogurt and lime juice mixture. Add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract. Stir everything well until the sugar completely dissolves. This may take a bit.

Adding the milk mixture — Stir in the milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract into the lime-yogurt mixture

Add oats, chia seeds, and lime zest. Toss in the rolled oats, chia seeds, and freshly grated lime zest. Stir thoroughly so all the ingredients are evenly combined.

Adding the oats chia and zest — Stir in the rolled oats, chia seeds,

Stirring all the ingredients — Stir in the rolled oats, chia seeds,

Refrigerate overnight. Cover the bowl or transfer the mixture into a container. Refrigerate it for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, so the oats can soak and soften.
Stir and add toppings. When ready to eat, give the oats a good stir. Top your lime overnight oats with your favorite toppings like fresh fruit, nuts, or a drizzle of honey, then enjoy.

Lime overnight oats topped with fresh lime slices — Refrigerate until thick and creamy, then finish with toppings and enjoy!

Variations

Vegan

To make this pudding vegan, do the following:

Replace non-fat Greek yogurt with thick plant-based yogurt for creaminess without dairy.
Ensure your white sugar is labeled vegan. Some of them aren’t.
Use plant-based milk. Again, I recommend oat or almond.

Lime flavored overnight oats for two — Creamy lime overnight oats finished with fresh lime slices

High-protein

Boost the protein content while keeping the taste balanced:

Add one serving (30g) of vanilla protein powder to the milk mixture.
Reduce the white sugar by half to adjust sweetness.
Decrease milk by 2 tablespoons to maintain the right consistency. Yes, you add less milk, not more to keep the texture.

Option	Protein per serving (g)
Regular	13.7
High-protein	33.7

Tips

Halve the lime juice initially for milder citrus flavor. If you’re not usually a fan of strong lime tastes, start with half the lime juice and taste the liquid base before adding oats. Could use a bit more lime? Add a the remaining lime juice and you’re golden.
Warm the milk and yogurt mixture gently to dissolve sugar fully. If the sugar isn’t dissolving well when mixed at cold temperatures, gently heat the milk and yogurt mixture over low heat, stirring constantly. Warm up the mixture up to room temperature, take off the heat, and keep stirring until sugar granules are gone.

Storage

Store the prepared lime overnight oats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.

A jar of sweet and tangy lime overnight oats

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:

Want some fresh and fruity flavors? Raspberry Overnight Oats or Strawberry Overnight Oats are great options you can make all year long.
Looking for something tropical instead? Mango Overnight Oats and Coconut Overnight Oats are well worth your time.
Just want to check out all our overnight oats flavors? Here’s our list of overnight oats recipes.